You’d think that we’d be way beyond this by now.
But I just read an article in a Virginia newspaper that proves that we’re not.
What I’m talking about is discrimination in tenant selection for rental properties.
It seems that a landlord in Virginia didn’t return phone calls to a prospective tenant that wanted to see his rental property. Then when they finally talked, he told her the property had already been rented.
The prospect then had a friend call. The landlord said it was available and they made an appointment to see it.
But the prospective renter complained. The Virginia Fair Housing Commission then got involved, and had two “testers” call and inquire about the property.
The landlord encouraged one to see it. He discouraged the other.
He was taken to court, and the judge determined that he had violated two counts of the Federal Fair Housing Act.
His fine? $36,000.
Pretty much the landlord death penalty.
I just don’t get this.
Not only is it bad business, but it’s immoral as well.
And if that’s not enough, it’s against federal law. As you can see, the government doesn’t hesitate to get involved when an accusation is made.
Hopefully the landlords that still discriminate will learn a lesson from this.
Here’s a link to the article: Landlord Death Penalty
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